I'll be 82 in September (2011). So I've seen a fair bit of life. I lived through the second world war. I've been widowed twice. I had cancer twice. I've raised two kids of my own and had a hand in raising three grandchildren.
One thing you learn fairly quickly when you're parenting is that children need discipline and guidance. If they're allowed to run riot, they will. At least, for a time they will. And while they do, they'll hurt themselves or the people around them. I believe that out-of-control behaviour is scary for everyone concerned - the people who're out of control and the people who have to witness that and deal with the consequences.
When people in England turned on their TVs in August 2011 and saw kids running riot in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham and elsewhere, it sparked a big debate about what had gone wrong in English cities. Night after night, youngsters were out on the streets, breaking into shops and other businesses, burning buildings and looting stores. They weren't stealing the necessities of life. They weren't after bread and meat. They were stealing computers, phones, plasma screen TVs and other electronic gadgets along with cigarettes, beer, wine and spirits and the usual street gear preferred by kids - trainers and hooded tops. The more 'ambitious' were looting jewellers as well.
The TV showed the rioters at the outset were mainly black kids and then the white kids joined in when they saw that the police were standing back, watching, doing nothing. To me, it seemed incredible that - as many guessed - the fear of being called racist prevented the police from arresting people who were smashing their way into businesses, looting and committing arson.
But certainly things have changed in England since I was young. Of course there were criminals around in the 30s and 40s and all the decades since. But here were thousands of utterly lawless young people on the rampage across England, burning and looting and smashing like the Barbarians at the sack of Rome.
There were of course older people involved too, mainly people in their 30s, and there was part of the problem. Many in the generation which has parented today's children are themselves lawless and out of control. They've given their kids virtually no discipline and precious little guidance, apart perhaps from the advice to pinch things when they can. There's a whole section of the English population that pours scorn on society, law and order, education and the idea of working for a living. That's no secret and the English and world press have widely discussed the problem of 'feral children' and 'feral parents' in England.
The liberal elite tend to argue that the rioters are a lost generation for whom more should have been done. The core problem, for them, is not that these people are profoundly anti-social and have no concern for others. The problem is that society hasn't given them enough. They should have more benefits, more education, more understanding. That's an awfully one-sided view in my opinion. It entirely leaves out the question of individuals taking responsibility for their own behaviour. One TV report showed a woman leaving a court with her young son - a child of about ten who'd been in court for rioting. She swore and railed at the interviewer speaking to her. The whole problem she said was that the government hadn't done enough for kids: there was nothing for kids to do. The interviewer seemed entirely unable to challenge that view. And yet around the world and throughout history, kids have found plenty of things to do without governments getting involved! That mother was making excuses for her own inability to guide or discipline her child. No surprise then if the child blamed "guvment" for his own thuggish behaviour. But it's preposterous to say kids in England need the government to do more for them. They have free education and, in this case I'm willing to bet, free housing and free food and amenities. That's already a heck of a lot more than a huge percentage of the world's children receive and adults like this mother should have that pointed out to her over and over again. Her son, properly guided by parents, would have plenty to do apart from rioting and stealing. He could take an interest in his education, read, play with friends, use his computer, learn an instrument, sing, play football with friends....there are clearly a thousand activities a healthy kid can do in England. And they don't need to cost much either. It would be no good that mother telling me or my generation that her kid is deprived. We lived our childhood during the war and often didn't have enough to eat. Most of us wouldn't have dreamt of stealing from others. It wasn't a question of what we didn't have. It was a question of what we did have: some proper social values in our heads, put there by parents and teachers.
One interesting report on the trials of rioters gave an indication of where English society has gone wrong in recent decades. A teenager was jailed for a month or two for looting. As he was led from the dock he shouted a very coarse insult at the judge. Nevertheless, he was led away. What should have happened is that the judge should have hauled him back into the dock right there and then and added to his sentence to teach him a lesson. Instead, the child learnt that he can insult a judge without consequence. Liberals may say that's too harsh but in the long run it does the child - and society - a lot of good. It instils respect for others and that has been sadly missing. The same report described the behaviour of a grown woman on hearing her boyfriend sentenced to a few months jail for rioting. She swore, ran out of court to the custody suite where her boyfriend was being held and tried to break in. Security men escorted her out of the court and as she left she kicked over a dustbin, scattering rubbish. Again, she should have been hauled into the dock by the judge there and then and given a fine. Instead - she too learnt that her bad behaviour went unpunished.
Justice needs to be consistent if it is to work. The English courts seem to have woken up to the fact, rather late in the day, that crime needs to be punished. They should now ensure that anti-social behaviour is met with jail sentences especially where it involves any form of violence.
It is true that English society is very unequal. The rich are fabulously rich and the poor are poor. But there are many opportunities for those willing to take them and for those willing to take responsibility for their own lives. The greatest opportunity lies in education, which is free. Many children and parents in the developing world understand the importance of education and would jump at the chance of free primary and secondary education. English kids have that and take it for granted. There needs to be a new emphasis on the importance of education - after that, parents and children can take notice of the opportunity or not. But we should all be challenged - repeatedly challenged - about our behaviour if it's anti-social. Those who choose to be lawless and commit crime should be left in no doubt that their crimes will be punished. The excuse that the government should have "done more" won't wash.
